


greatest night

by veronicabunch



Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, scavenger hunt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 06:23:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12163278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veronicabunch/pseuds/veronicabunch
Summary: “No,” Veronica says, without looking up from her phone. She’s pretending to text someone, because a) she has an image to uphold, and b) because Betty has been texting someone for the last hour. It’s not fair that her best friend (and unrequited crush) could laugh and flirt with someone and not at least tell her who. She smacks her lips together, scrolls a bit further down the Facebook app. She skims a rant that Ethel has posted about feminism and smiles.Ethel hadn’t always been this outspoken or brave, but social media had surprisingly given her a lot of confidence. Veronica hears Reggie’s huff and she looks at him now.“What, Reginald?”“If you could just put your phone down for one goddamn minute maybe you could have some crazy life-changing moment,” he mutters.





	greatest night

**x x x**

 

“No,” Veronica says, without looking up from her phone. She’s pretending to text someone, because a) she has an image to uphold, and b) because Betty has been texting someone for the last hour. It’s not fair that her best friend (and unrequited crush) could laugh and flirt with someone and not at least  _tell_  her who. She smacks her lips together, scrolls a bit further down the Facebook app. She skims a rant that Ethel has posted about feminism and smiles.

Ethel hadn’t always been this outspoken or brave, but social media had surprisingly given her a lot of confidence. Veronica hears Reggie’s huff and she looks at him now.

“What, Reginald?”

“If you could just put your phone down for  _one goddamn minute_  maybe you could have some crazy life-changing moment,” he mutters. She locks her phone screen before setting it deliberately onto the table. Veronica gives Reggie her full attention. Facebook was getting boring anyway, and he sounded pretty peeved with her. Reggie coughs, and looks at Betty expectantly. She looks up, startled with her eyes wide like Bambi. She mumbles an apology and tucks her phone away. “Thank  _you._ ”

“You want us to do what exactly?” Veronica asks, tilting her head. She tries not to think about the fact that Betty has moved her feet to play with hers under the table.

“A scavenger hunt! C’mon, I asked Lumiere to set it up for us, and he’s proud of all the work he put into it.” Reggie pouts, and Veronica wants to remind him how unattractive that looks (well, it doesn’t, but it  _should_ ). “Please, guys?”

“Who else is doing it?” Betty asks, looking at Reggie with uncertainty written all over her face. She’s probably worried she’ll be late to meet her mysterious texting buddy or something. (For the record, Veronica is  _not_  jealous. Not really. Well. Maybe a little bit. But Veronica Lodge does  _not_  do jealousy or clinginess.)

Reggie grins, because he already knows that Betty will have a damn hard time saying no. “Arch, Val, Jug, Midge and Moose, Ethel, Dilton, Chuck and Nancy, Josie and Melody. Sabrina and Harvey  _might_  join us. I even called Harper to see if she’d wanna join, but she has a date with her girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Veronica repeats, surprised.

“Yeah. You…you didn’t know?” Reggie shrugs. “She’s with that Samantha Smythe girl from her school. The one who Bingo follows around like a lost puppy?”

“I didn’t realize. Good for her,” Veronica says, putting her perfected smile on her face. How the  _hell_  could Harper not have come out to her? She bites down on her tongue, because it’s the only way she’ll allow herself to express annoyance right now.

“Cheryl and Jason?”

“In and counted for,” Reggie says to Betty. “It’s really just you two, and the only reason it took me so long to ask is because…well, to be honest, I just assumed. And then Archie asked me about teams and I realized that I hadn’t asked yet.”

Veronica frowns now.

Betty looks at her, hope filling her face. “Ronnie? What do you think?”

_What does it matter what I think?_  Veronica wants to snap.  _Because you’re seeing someone else, even though we kissed at Midge’s birthday party six months ago. Even though you know how I feel about you._

Instead, she hesitates.

“C’mon. It could be fun,” Betty tries. “You never know - this could be one of the greatest nights of our lives.”

Veronica shrugs. “Sure, fine, whatever. When is it?”

“Tonight.”

“To–night? Reggie!”

“Yeah. Everyone’s waiting in the park across the street. C’mon. I’ll pay for your dinners.” Reggie turns to talk to Pop at the counter. Veronica looks up at Betty, unsure what to expect. Betty, in true Betty-fashion, gives her a bright smile. “Oh, this is perfect! What a lovely spur-of-the-moment thing to do.”

“Well, it sounds like Reggie’s been planning this for a while. So not so spontaneous.”

“Ron,  _come on._  You’ve been so moody lately. This will be good for you. Help you relax and get your mind off your dad’s job offer,” Betty tells her, leaning forward to put her hand on Veronica’s. She curls her fingers around hers and then squeezes. “Let’s forget about everything else and have a good time.”

“Okay.”

 

**x x x**

Veronica has to admit, she’s having more fun than she had expected. She’s rushing down the sidewalk, her hand in Betty’s, and they’re trying to get to the old payphone as soon as possible. The version of the scavenger hunt that Reggie and his butler came up with was incredibly creative. Not only did they have to find and do a bunch of stuff, but there’s a point system for every dare they did with the item.

They’d been paired up with Nancy and Chuck, and since they didn’t have to do  _all_  of the items together, they’d split up. Nancy and Chuck are going to do all of the even numbers; Betty and Veronica are doing the odd. Then they’d meet up to complete the group items.

“Okay, okay, what’s the number?” Betty asks, looking at the paper in Veronica’s hand. She unfolds it.

“1-844-903-1829,” Veronica reads out. She reads the small note under the number. “First thirty minutes are free.”

Betty nods, and waits. She has to hit a few numbers first, but then she’s grinning. She tells the sex-phone operator on the other end that she’s doing this as part of a scavenger hunt, and that she’ll have to record part of their conversation. Betty politely asks the person - who Veronica can hear laughing - to pretend that they’re just starting up a conversation and to get as dirty and nasty as possible.

She gives a thumbs-up when Veronica can start recording, making a show of hitting the numbers. Betty smiles shyly at the phone and waves. Then she pretends that she’s just connected to this person for the first time.

“Hi Candy. I’m really lonely tonight. What would you do to me if you were here with me now?” Betty asks, her voice dropping down to a sultry tone. Veronica squirms a little, because  _yep,_  that was hot as hell. She brings the video in closer to listen to the phone sex operator.

Veronica’s eyes flash to Betty’s. This may be one of the hottest things… “I’ll lick each of your toes. Really slowly.”

Never mind. Veronica doesn’t like feet things, so she scrunches her nose and leans away. Betty starts speaking, and Veronica doesn’t quite catch all of it. She’s focused on the way Betty’s lips move - how her face grows softer as she speaks. Betty closes her eyes and murmurs something sexy.

“Wow,” Betty murmurs. “Are you coming for me?”

Betty looks up and her smile falters slightly when she sees Veronica’s gaze. Veronica wants to look away, wants to pull away, but the truth is she has never wanted to shove Betty up against a wall to kiss her more than right now. How her crush had gotten so out of control, she doesn’t know. She runs her tongue across her lips and takes a deep breath.

“Yeah,” Betty whispers. “Yeah, just like that. Keep going for me. Say my name. Yeah. Say it louder. Beg for my touch–”

Veronica’s chest rises and falls slowly. She can’t seem to take her eyes off of Betty’s.

“Yeah, just like that. Oh god, oh–right there,” Betty murmurs into the phone. “Oh, baby. Come for me.”

A moment later, Betty gives the phone a bright smile and thumbs-up. Veronica’s confused before she remembers she’s recording this. Betty says something quietly on the phone before she says, “Thank you so much for your service. Have a great evening.”

Veronica stops recording and then Betty chats with the person on the other line for a moment longer. She laughs, thanks the employee, and hangs up. “Alright! What’s next?”

“I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to be the ones to tell you when to finish,” Veronica tells her, with a tight smile. She needs a moment to get herself together.

Betty laughs. “Everyone always assumes I’m submissive in bed. But what if I’m really a dom?”

Veronica’s eyebrows go up at that. She doesn’t press Betty for more details. Instead, she looks down at the list and says, “Ahh, okay. We need to find the price of a Long Island Iced Tea.”

“Oh,” Betty says, frowning. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“It’s past 9pm and we’re underage,” Veronica reminds her.

Betty has that look in her eye. “And who do we know that can dress to impress?”

“Off to my closet!” Veronica says, laughing now. Some of the tension has been released as Betty grabs her hand and they take off towards Veronica’s car.

 

**x x x**

“This makes me look twenty-one, don’t you think?” Betty asks, turning around in Veronica’s black dress. The dress doesn’t cover too much, but it’s a great style. Open back, side cut-outs, and a nice slit. It also clings to Betty’s body in all the right places.

Veronica nods. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”

“And with you in that red dress…we’re going to kill this one,” Betty tells her. She smiles. “You look so beautiful, Ronnie.”

“Thanks,” she manages. There’s a lump in her throat. She’d pictured a moment or two…or a thousand like this before late at night. Her and Betty getting ready for a date night together. Getting all dolled up, holding hands, and laughing until last call.

Betty grins. “Let’s go break some hearts.”

“You’ll break your secret lover’s heart in that dress,” Veronica tells her.

Betty pauses and says, “Ronnie, I don’t know  _what_  you think I’ve been up to lately, but I can assure you…there’s no secret lover.”

There might be an extra skip in Veronica’s step after that. Heels be damned.

 

**x x x**

 

When they get to the first club, they’re turned away immediately. They aim for the next club, and this time, the bouncer is a stereotypical fuckboy. At least, that’s what Veronica whispers into Betty’s ear. They try to play up the whole lesbian-fantasy, but he laughs and tells them he’s gay as gay can be. They move on.

Then Betty has some strange rush of confidence, and drags Veronica towards a very popular dive club that they’d grown up hearing bits and pieces of wild stories. “They’re never going to let us in, Bets.”

“Oh, ye of lil faith,” Betty says, with a laugh. She puts her hand in Veronica’s and starts walking backwards. “I bet you anything we get into this club.”

“Anything?” Veronica asks.

“Anything.”

“A kiss.” The words come out before she can stop them. Betty, to her credit, doesn’t falter in her step.

“Your wish, my command,” Betty says, with a grin. She stops walking suddenly, causing Veronica to stumble into her. She squeezes Betty’s hand to steady her, as Betty wraps her other hand around Veronica’s waist. They sway together for a moment. “Veronica Lodge, you’re beautiful, don’t you know that?”

Well, yes. She models all the time. But somehow, coming from Betty’s lips, it sounds like the thought has never occurred to Veronica before. She wants to cling to this moment, fleeting as it is. “Betty…”

“Um, excuse me, love birds,” a voice comes from behind them. Beside them. Somewhere around them. Veronica is too busy trying to calm her heartbeat to really know.

“Yes?” Betty asks, sounding innocent. Veronica has learned tonight that Betty isn’t as innocent as she seems.

“IDs?”

Betty scoffs. “I’m insulted.”

The bouncer doesn’t look impressed. “You’re  _insulted?_  I have a job to do, and if you’re going to give me a hassle–”

Veronica’s not sure who this brave, confident Betty is, but  _god,_  she’s making Veronica weak in the knees. Betty squeezes her hand before letting go. She whispers something into the bouncer’s ear, and the bouncer leans back. He nods.

“Alright. You can go in. But you have to be out by midnight. The cops do ID checks after that time, usually.”

“Thank you…” Betty pauses, expectantly.

“Bruce.”

“Bruce. Thank you very much.” Betty grabs Veronica’s hand and drags her into the club. Bruce pokes his head in the door and tells the door man that they can skip cover - they’re with him.

“How the hell did you pull that off?” Veronica asks. “That’s usually something devious that I’d come up with.”

“I think you’ve rubbed off on me,” Betty admits. “Besides, I had an epiphany the other day. We’re graduating in a few weeks. We’ve already gotten into college. This is the last summer that we have to be reckless and have some fun. I don’t want to waste it - especially if you take that job offer from your dad.”

Betty’s pulling Veronica in closer. Veronica hates herself for saying, “We should get the photo and go! We don’t want to lose.”

“I think we have time for one dance, don’t you?” Betty asks, with a bright smile.

They’re dancing with each other; just like they had been doing for years. Betty’s a little more looser than usual, a little more sexual, and a little more touchy. Veronica can’t say she minds at all. She puts her hands on Betty’s waist and slowly works her way down into a squat. Working her way back up Betty’s body, moving with the beat, she finds Betty’s arms settling around her neck.

“I rejected his offer.”

“What?!” Betty says, her eyes widening with surprise.

Veronica forces Betty to move with her. “I rejected the job offer. I couldn’t imagine spending the summer before college without you.”

“Ronnie, I–”

“My dad did a lot of yelling. I mean, a  _lot._ ”

“Wow, I…is everything going to be okay?”

“It depends.”

“On?”

The song changes; the mood is slower, more sultry. Veronica and Betty move closer to each other. Veronica leans forward, letting her breath brush against Betty’s ear before she says, “If you’ll come with me. I told my dad the only way I’d be opening the London office is if you came with me.”

Betty leans back. “Wait,  _really?”_

“Yep.”

“Ronnie…I have to think about it.”

“Take your time,” Veronica tells her.  _But not too long. My heart can’t handle the wait._

“Let’s get that drink pricing!”

 

**x x x**

There are only two more things on their half of the list that they need to worry about. The first is they have to convince a stranger to pose with them. It’s easy with Betty’s bright smile and girl-next-door vibe. She’d taken the black dress off, ditched the heels in the backseat, and changed back into her jeans and t-shirt. Veronica would be disappointed, but she noticed that Betty didn’t bother putting a bra on. It’s only going to add to her ridiculous nightly fantasies, but she can’t help herself.

Veronica keeps the dress on, but switches into flats. They’re pulling into the parking lot. They’d agreed to meet Nancy and Chuck here. She’s drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. “I guess they’ll do the last one on our list?”

Betty frowns. “What? C’mon, it’s not like we haven’t kissed before. Let’s go inside and find the photo booth.”

Veronica doesn’t question it. She turns the car off and hops out. They manage to come up with enough change and then they squeeze into the photo booth. She remembers these being bigger when she was younger.

“Ugh,” Betty says, shifting.

“Just sit on my lap.”

If Betty is surprised, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she climbs onto Veronica’s lap. She wraps her arms around her neck and smiles. “Hi.”

_Flash._

“You’re beautiful. All dolled up or just like this,” Veronica murmurs to her. She meets Betty’s eyes and hopes that she knows she means it.

_Flash._

“Okay, let’s smile at the camera for this one,” Betty says, smiling already. Veronica doesn’t turn away from her though. They’ve been together through  _so_  much. How she could have ever believed she was straight when a drunk Betty had kissed her three years ago, she’ll never know. She was a moron, that’s for sure.

_Flash._

Betty turns to look at her. They don’t speak. Betty leans down and presses her lips lightly against Veronica’s. She doesn’t want to deepen the kiss, until she feels Betty’s lips parting.

_Flash._

Veronica drags her hand up into Betty’s hair and  _kisses her._  It’s a real, honest kiss. She knows that it might change everything, and Betty might freak out, but right now, it feels like they’re both on the same page. Betty rocks her body against Veronica’s, as if she wants to get closer to her, but she can’t.

When they pull apart, Veronica’s chest is rising and falling quickly. Betty’s hair is a little messy. She smiles. “I think it took the photo.”

“Yeah,” Veronica breathes.

They don’t have to wait long for the prints to fall down. This photo booth is more modern than the old ones Veronica remembers; it gives two copies. She hadn’t even noticed that fact, and Betty didn’t notice that a second one had fallen. Veronica grabs it and casually holds it behind her back.

“Let’s see?”

Betty laughs. “You were supposed to look at the camera! Now I look self-involved or something.”

Veronica scoffs. “No one on this Earth could ever  _dare_  suggest that you’re self-involved, Betty. You’re like the least self-involved person I’ve ever met.”

Betty rolls her eyes. She points to the one of them kissing - the one that Veronica already has plans to copy and preserve it forever. “We look good, huh?”

Veronica leans into her and grins. “Yeah. Yeah, we do.”

“Oh–there’s Nancy and Chuck.”

 

**x x x**

“No, no, wait that’s the wrong position!” Nancy calls out. She turns her phone, squinting at the screen. “Chuck, move your leg a little to the…yeah, like that.”

Veronica, Betty, and Chuck are taking a photo of them fully-clothed in four different sex positions for threesomes. It’d be uncomfortable, except the last one had Betty lying on top of Veronica and Chuck was just a director/watcher.

Tonight has been hella fun, and Veronica isn’t ready for it to be over.

“Perfect! That’s the last one. And the last item on the list! Let’s go!”

 

**x x x**

“Are we the first ones back?” Betty asks, falling in step beside Veronica. They look around Pop’s and don’t see anyone else.

“I guess so!”

“Sweet,” Nancy says, grinning. She leans into Chuck. “Let’s grab a booth. And some food. I’m  _starving._ ”

“Even after you ate four burgers from…” Chuck drops his voice. “Pop’s competitors?”

“Those burgers were gross, and the patty barely existed. So yeah, I’m still hungry.” Nancy waves at Pop as they all sit down.

Betty sets her hand on the booth beside Veronica. She doesn’t know if that’s an invitation, but Veronica drops her down. She waits a moment. Then she feels Betty intertwine her fingers into hers. Veronica relaxes.

No matter what happens now, she hopes that Betty will still want to be her friend.

 

**x x x**

“And…” Pop says, with all eyes on him. Reggie had paid him fifty bucks to referee the point tallying and announce the winners. He’d laughed and said he would’ve done it for free. But they don’t like to take advantage of Pop. “…the winners are Nancy, Chuck, Betty, and Veronica!”

“What!” Reggie shouts. “How?!”

“Because, you had bonus points for the kiss in the photo booth if both people weren’t in a relationship together. And Betty was the only one who called the…operator.” Pop hands Reggie his piece of paper over. “Your team came in second, though.”

“What does the winner get?” Jughead asks.

“Bragging rights.”

“Oh, this is going to  _kill_  you,” Midge teases. Reggie shrugs, and sits down beside Jughead.

“Wait,” Betty says, getting everyone’s attention with one word. Veronica wonders how she does that and yet stays so humble. “Do we still get the point if I ask Ronnie out on a date later this week?”

Reggie sighs. “Of course, you do. Because you weren’t a couple prior to the hunt, right?”

“Right.”

“There you go,” Reggie says. Then he shares a look with Jughead. Veronica manages to tear her eyes away from them to stare at Betty.

“Hey, Ron, I was hoping you’d maybe wanna go on a date next week.”

“I–I might be in London,” Veronica whispers. Her chest tightens.

“That’s okay. We can have our first date in England. I’d be okay with that.”

“You’re going to come with me?” Veronica breathes.

“Well, where else would I be?” Betty answers with a grin. Veronica doesn’t hesitate this time: she leans in, pulls Betty closer, and presses her lips against hers.

_Greatest. Night. Ever._

**x x x**

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted [here.](https://veronicabunch.tumblr.com/post/162612327167/bettyveronica-you-never-know-this-could-be-the)


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